The Protected
by PrincessSparkles CaptainOats
Summary: PG-13 Just to be safe. Im awful at summaries, just R&R. Please pretend that the whole Theresaa thing never happened.
1. Someone has Come

Seth got ready for his morning ritual, he was just about to reach for his coffee as the door bell rang. Thinking it was Marissa, he went to open the door for her. But when he got to the door, he found that it was not Marissa, but a girl he did not know. She stood waiting, she looked scared. She had long dark hair and even darker eyes. She was also heavily pregnant  
"Can I please see Ryan?" the girl asked.  
"Sure, come on in I'll go get him. Just make yourself comfortable." Seth said.  
He normally wouldn't let in someone he didn't really know. But there was something about her. She seemed innocent, despite the trouble she had obviously gotten herself into. She looked like she was only 16.  
"Ryan?" Seth said as he got to the pool house. "You have a visitor."  
"Who is it?" Ryan said as he got up from the couch.  
Seth just shrugged and Ryan followed him. As soon as they got into the living room Ryan instantly recognized the new stranger.  
"Lizzie!" he said. His whole face lit up when he saw her, but when she stood, his face had lost all its happiness had left from before.  
"What happened?" he asked forcefully.  
Lizzie stood there wondering how she could explain this, and she started to tear up.  
Seth took pity on her and wanted to go hug her to make her feel better, but he was a stranger to her and would probably be more afraid and freaked out than comforted.  
Ryan led her to the couch and cuddled her, just like a big brother would to his sister.  
"Just tell me what happened. Trust me, I won't hate you for it." Ryan said.  
Lizzie slowly collected her thoughts and then she started to speak.  
"I was at Theresa's house. She was having a party and there was this guy, no one knew who he was and so I went to introduce myself. He seemed nice so I stayed and talked to him for a while. I never got his name. He asked me if I would let him drive me home, I said sure since it wasn't far. He drove me around town. Half way home he pulled over. He told me that he would kill me if I didn't sleep with him. I thought he was joking so I joked back. He didn't think it was funny. He hit me and that's when I knew he was serious. I tried to fight him off, but he wouldn't let me go. He beat me until I was to weak to fight him off. When he finished he pushed me out of the car and drove off. I had to walk home, but I couldn't make it. I went to the closest house I could find, and stayed there for the night. The next day, the people I stayed with went out to find him. They never could. He had left town and no one has seen him since. I tried to explain this to Mom, but she wouldn't believe me. She said I was a whore, and that if I thought I was old enough to have sex, I was old enough to live on my own. She kicked me out. I've been living with anyone who would take me in, but I try not to stay too long. I hate being dependent on everyone. I asked Theresa if she knew where you were and Eddy drove me here. I just wondered if I could stay for a week or so, until I can find somewhere else to stay." She finished her story with new tears.  
"You can stay as long as you want." Said Kirsten, who had walked in during her story. "All you have to do is tell us who you are."  
Lizzie looked a little embarrassed. She had never been that way before she was...before it happened. She had just stopped trusting people.  
"I'm Elizabeth Atwood, Lizzie, for short. I'm Ryan's cousin."  
  
***California here we come! Right back were we started from. California!!!!!! Here we come!!!*** (Sorry I love that song!)  
  
"So Ryan's cousin is staying with you?" asked Summer, Seth had told her the news when they got to school.  
"Yeah, my mom's buying her new clothes today. She is really nice, you two probably wouldn't get along." Seth said, trying to get on Summer's nerves, a new game he had found quite fun.  
"Shut up, Cohen! How do I know you two won't be having sex while I'm not there! I mean you seem to think she is just the best thing to walk the Earth!" Summer had recently started wondering about Seth and fidelity.  
"Trust me that won't happen." He said, Seth had left the part out about her being pregnant. He didn't want Summer to spread it around school.  
"Why, is she a total cow?" Summer had no shame!  
"No, well, not really. She's well." Seth didn't know what to say. She was fat, but for a reason. How could he like someone so shallow? He looked over at her and saw she was wearing a mini skirt and a tight tank top that left little to the imagination. Oh, yeah! He thought, That's why!  
"I knew it! She's a total cow!" Summer skipped in triumph.  
"She is not a cow, Summer. She, well she's pregnant." Seth blew it now.  
Summer was really quiet. She felt bad that she had made fun of the girl, but how could she know? Seth was so damn secretive. He thought she couldn't handle anything.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. Wow, I feel bad. I really need to stop hanging out with you. You're giving me feelings."  
"I know, I have that power over people." Just then Ryan caught up with them. He had to help Lizzie settle in.  
"Hey. Sorry I'm late I had..."  
"To help your cousin." Interrupted Summer. "I know."  
"Listen she drug it out of me, man. I swear, she has powers that work against me. It's like super sexy hot mind reading evil powers. Against them, I'm helpless." Seth said. "I think I need to find her weakness, so I can have a chance to fight against her. I know, chocolate! Every girls weakness is chocolate, right?"  
"Shut up Cohen!" said Marissa who had just joined them. She leaned in and gave Ryan a kiss. "So what's up?" She asked.  
"Ryan's cousin paid them a visit this morning, and she is going to stay a while. Turns out she's pregnant." Said Summer.  
"Really? What's her name?" asked Marissa, a little annoyed with Summer.  
"Lizzie, she was my closest cousin. I've always been very protective of her. I just can't believe she didn't come to me first. She shouldn't have had to move around so much." He said, more thinking out loud then talking to anyone. "I remember, when we were kids, we had our adventures. We had to find out why things were stolen in our neighborhood. We called our selves the Atwood Detectives. We actually found a few stolen things. That was so much fun." Ryan said with a smile. He really missed those days.  
The bell rang and they all took off for class, but Ryan decided to skip first period. He went to his car and drove off. Marissa watched him leave and wondered why he never told her about Lizzie, but she shrugged it off and went to class. She could tell Ryan wanted to think. 


	2. Shopping

"So, how are you feeling?" asked Kirsten while picking out some cute maternity clothes.  
"Frazzled. I've been feeling this way since it happened. I keep waiting to wake up. Oh that's cute." Said Lizzie.  
"So, how far along are you?" asked Kirsten, trying to sound as casual as possible.  
"Oh, um seven months. Did you feel like this when you were pregnant with Seth?" Lizzie really appreciated Kirsten's gesture, but she hated for complete spotlight on her.  
"Oh, yes. I actually threatened to kill Sandy, my husband, when we were thinking about names. It was because he wanted to name Seth Lucifer, after my father." Kirsten laughed. "But you know, I threaten Sandy's life often."  
Lizzie laughed and picked up another shirt. After looking at the price tag, she put it back down. Everything in this store was way too expensive for her. If she was ever going to pay back the Cohen's, she better not spend too much.  
"No wait. That's cute. You have to have it." Said Kirsten looking at what she had put away. "Hell, I might have to have it."  
"I can't afford that. I don't want you to think I'm being a free loader. I want to pay you back and I can't afford to pay back all of this." Said Lizzie near tears.  
"No sweetie, don't cry. I don't expect you to pay back. All I want you to do is enjoy yourself. I won't except any money from you. If you give me money, I'll open up a savings account for you and put it in there." Kirsten said grabbing hold of Lizzie's face with both of her hands. "I'm just having so much fun, shopping with a girl. I am so glad you like my kind of style, unlike Seth who thinks I have no taste, and Sandy who will quietly buy what I want him to, but never wear it."  
Lizzie just smiled and grabbed the outfit. How did Ryan become so lucky to meet these people?  
"So, how close are you and Ryan?" asked Kirsten trying to break the silence that had started.  
"When we were kids, we lived in the same house. He always protected me against bullies. Once, he even broke a kids leg, because he said I was a bitch and he threw rocks at me. When my mom moved out of that house, we didn't move far. Just down the road. Ryan and I hung out with the same people and took the same classes. Then he disappeared, and I haven't spoken to him since this morning." Responded Lizzie.  
"Wow, so you two are like brother and sister. I wonder why he never talked about you?" said Kirsten, not realizing how harsh that must have been until seeing Lizzie's face.  
"I guess he never approved of how I was getting along in life. He was always telling us that just because we were from Chino, doesn't mean we have to use that as an excuse. I always figured I would marry someone from there, work there, live there, all of my life. I never tried to succeed in school. I felt that I wouldn't have to. I kind of wish I had now. At least then, I would be able to support myself."  
Kirsten stood and listened as she went on. Then she saw Ryan.  
"Oh my God!" said Kirsten. "Speak of the devil."  
Lizzie looked over and saw him too. He asked a store clerk where they were. When he saw them he ran over.  
"What are you doing here?" asked Kirsten and Lizzie at the same time. "I needed to speak to you." Said Ryan to Lizzie. "Why aren't you in class?" asked Kirsten. "This is important." Said Ryan. He pulled Lizzie to the side and said, "Why didn't you come to me first? You know I would have helped you. You wouldn't have had to wonder around and be homeless for so long. I could have taken care of you." Lizzie didn't look him in the eyes. "You deserved to be away from me. I've always held you down and been dependent on you. I thought after you left, that you left to get away from me. You were tired of taking care of me. After I got pregnant, yeah, you were the first person I thought of, but I just didn't want you to feel burdened. Theresa was the one who finally talked me into coming." Ryan stared at her in dismay. How could she think that? He thought she knew that he would never even think about leaving her. Ryan leaned in and gave her a hug to help her feel protested, that was what he was there for. His life had done a complete 180( when he moved to New Port. He had no one to comfort or make feel protected. When he met Marissa he saw in her what he saw in Lizzie, a lost sole wanting someone to turn to and cry on. "Ryan, you need to get back to school now!" said Kirsten interrupting their hug. She was so upset with Ryan, she had been upset with at least one person everyday since he had moved there. She knew that by the end of the year she would have sever ulcers and have to attend AA meeting regularly. Ryan left without protest, he knew that if he didn't follow Kirsten's rules he would be in serious trouble. After Ryan left Kirsten and Lizzie shopped a little more. "Listen, I know this is a touch subject, but if you could describe the bastard that did this to you, I will do every thing in my power to see his ass in jail." Kirsten said to Lizzie while they tried on some clothes. Lizzie got kind of quiet as she tried to recall the events. She quivered when she thought of him. "He...um...he wasn't very cute. He had kind of a maniac look in his face, like he belonged in a padded room. He had short black hair that looked like he ran his fingers through it all the time. He was medium build and, from what he told me, he had a drug problem." "And you didn't get his name?" asked Kirsten. "I don't think I did. It was so loud at that party, I wouldn't have heard him." Said Lizzie. They walked out of the dressing rooms and examined each other. "What do you think? Do I look too fat?" asked Kirsten. "You wouldn't look fat in a fat suit. That is so cute. I am the one that looks fat. I swear, you'd think I was having septuplets." Said Lizzie. "Thank you for your sweet but completely false compliment. You look like you're having a baby. I looked the same way when I was pregnant with Seth. I almost shot Sandy several times for what he had done to me, that is why I have never been to a shooting range with my husband." Laughed Kirsten. Lizzie laughed too. She was actually enjoying herself. This hadn't happened since Ryan left. "So, now let's find out about you. Favorite color?" asked Kirsten. "Red." Replied Lizzie. She loved this game. "Clay or Rueben?" "I am a Claymate. I know just about everything there is to know about Clay." "Really? Kelly or Justin?" "No contest, Kelly. Justin couldn't sing to save his life." "I completely agree. Kelly has talent. Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?" "Harry Potter. I have trouble getting into Lord of the Rings." "Thank God I'm not the only one! Oh, I have a tough one. Ashton Kutcher or Orlando Bloom?" Kirsten was even having trouble with this one. Lizzie thought for a while. "Can I use a life line?" They laughed and went to pay for their clothes. 


	3. Seth in Trouble

Fare well OC! I shall miss you! Why do you leave? Oh well, this chapter is dedicated to my favorite show. Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate them. Please keep reviewing, I love reviews!  
  
As Ryan made his way back to , he thought about Lizzie. What was he going to do? It seemed like ever since he moved to New Port it has been one disaster after another. There was Oliver, Julie and Luke, Jimmy, and now this? He opened the door to the room and walked in.  
"Mr. Atwood, why are you late?" asked his teacher, Mrs. Griffin.  
"Family business." Ryan said while taking a seat next to Marissa.  
Mrs. Griffin nodded uninterested.  
"How'd it go?" asked Marissa when Ryan sat down.  
"Interesting, it was very New Port." Said Ryan with a sigh.  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"New Port is full of Drama, ever since I have moved here, there has been nothing but drama. But don't get me wrong, its better then being bored off my ass, but I just wish we could have one day normal. Just get away from all the drama and tears." Ryan rambled.  
Marissa was quiet. She wished that too some times. She seemed to always be in trouble, once she would like to know how it is to be normal. "But what is normal?" she accidentally said out loud.  
"What?" said Ryan.  
"Nothing, I was just thinking. What did Lizzie say?" Marissa was so embarrassed she would do anything to get the attention off of her.  
"She said she thought that I had abandoned her when I left Chino. That is such bullshit. I thought she knew me better then that. I think she's hiding something." Ryan liked to talk to Marissa about this, because he knew that she would listen, unlike Seth who would turn it into a Seth problem and not a Ryan problem.  
"What do you think it could be?" she asked.  
"I don't know, I kinda just want to think about it. Can I ask you something Marissa?"  
"Sure go ahead."  
"If Oliver hadn't threatened to kill himself in front of you, would you still be his friend? I know I sound like I'm five and everything, but if he hadn't held a gun to his head in front of you, would you have ever noticed what a horrible person he was?" Ryan had been thinking about that here lately. Oliver had put such a strain on Marissa and Ryan's relationship.  
Marissa thought about it for a while. "I don't think I would have. I hate to say it, but I saw him as a way out of being different. He was my friend, or I thought he was, I guess we'll never know."  
"I heard Sandy talking to Kirsten, he's coming back. I know it's soon, but they say he has really improved. I guess we'll see."  
Marissa was taken back. Oliver was coming back? What would she say to him? Would she be friendly or would she be mean? Would being mean push him over the edge to try to kill himself again? It was too much to think about. "When did you hear this?" she said after a while.  
"Yesterday, I was as shocked as you are." Said Ryan.  
"Do you know when he'll be back. It's not like he's coming back today, right?" Marissa was about to hyperventilate.  
"Next week, are you okay?" Ryan asked, he was so worried that Marissa was having a panic attack.  
"I just need air." Marissa ran out of the room and out of the school. She sat down on the steps and looked around. She had started to shake. "I'm just over reacting, it will be fine."  
Even though she said she would be fine, she wasn't so sure she would be. She knew inside that she couldn't handle anything from Oliver. After a few minutes she made her way back to . When she sat next to Ryan he asked if she was okay, but she ignored him. She needed to think.  
  
Seth made his way to as quickly as possible. He hadn't meant to stay so long with Summer, and now he was going to be late. He noticed a fresh hickey and tried to hide it. His teacher wasn't so happy when Seth was late because he was busy making out with Summer.  
"Mr. Cohen, glad you could join us. Please take a seat." Said Mr. Adams when Seth walked into the room. "Guess what we are learning today. I promise it will be something you enjoy."  
"Are we learning about comic books?" asked Seth hopefully.  
"Ha! Even better. We are learning about sex."  
"Yeah! My favorite sport." Commented Seth underneath his breathe.  
Mr. Adams went along and asked questions about sex that most people didn't know when he came to Seth.  
"Mr. Cohen, if protection is not used, what percentage chance does a teenage girl have of becoming pregnant in a year?"  
Seth had herd this somewhere. He racked his brain to think of it. He would not give Mr. Adams the pleasure of proving him wrong.  
"You don't know? Didn't think so. It is an..."  
"85%" shouted Seth. He knew that he knew the answer.  
"Correct." Said Mr. Adams grumpily. He hated that Seth Cohen. He was such an arrogant ass.  
Seth smiled and sunk into his seat. He loved looking at the scowl on Mr. Adams's face.  
"Since you know everything Mr. Cohen, it makes me wonder about your extra uncurricular activities." Mr. Adams laughed. He loved to humiliate his students. Besides teaching it was what he did best.  
"Funny, we really don't have to worry about yours do we?" Seth knew that he would be on is way home quite soon. Even a teacher won't take that humiliation.  
"Mr. Cohen, you know your way to the office. Please walk there."  
Seth picked up his things and left the room. He made his way down to the office and they called Kirsten. Seth knew he would be in trouble, but he couldn't help but get excited. Now he got to get to know Lizzie. She was a complete stranger now, but soon he would be able to talk to her for a while. He knew that he wouldn't be punished, because Kirsten hated Mr. Adams. She knew him in high school and he was a nerd that always tried to show her up.  
Kirsten drove up to the school and Seth got in the car.  
"What did you do this time?" asked Kirsten when Seth got in the car.  
"I answered a question correctly and he got mad. That I knew the answer because I was having sex and I told him he wasn't." answered Seth. Kirsten couldn't help but laugh. "Where is Lizzie?"  
"Oh, she is at the house. She got really tired when we were shopping and took a nap. I feel so bad for her. She really needs someone to look after her. Ryan had done that all her life, and when he left, she was all alone."  
Seth rode in silence and thought about Lizzie. He knew that she was going to bring even more trouble to their home, but he really didn't mind so much. 


	4. Seth and Lilly

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the OC.  
  
Kirsten parked her car outside her house and Seth came out with her. She put her key in the lock and stepped into her wonderfully furnished house.  
"You need to be quiet when we go in, she is probably still asleep," Lilly said to Seth who walked behind her.  
Seth nodded and then headed for his room. He slammed himself down on his bed and picked up Captain Oats. "Hello Captain Oats, it seems to me that you are the only one that cares about me."  
Seth looked at his horse and almost waited for an answer. "Yeah, I'm insane," Seth said putting his horse to the side.  
"Seth, come downstairs and help me," said Kirsten peaking her head in his room.  
Seth sighed and then followed his mother out of the room. Kirsten quickly walked down the stairs and out the front doors. She walked over to her car and opened the trunk. Inside was a field of clothing bags for both Lizzie and Kirsten.  
"Do you have enough clothes mom? Because if you don't I have those pants that you bought me that I will never wear and they are free to you," said Seth gaping at all of the bags.  
"Take all of these and put them in either my room or Lizzie's, she is staying in the pool house. You will know which ones are who's when you look at them and see if they are maternity or just normal. Now get to work, I have to go to work," She said helping him unload the bags.  
"Yes master," he said.  
They worked together unloading everything and then Kirsten left for work. Seth grabbed all of his mother's things and put them away in his parent's room. He walked back out to grab Lizzie's clothes and when he got to the pool house he saw Lizzie slowly waking up on the couch.  
"Hi! I am your deliveryman here with your clothes. Anything else that you need?" he said setting the clothes down next to her bed.  
"Are you the butler or something?" she said looking confusedly at him. She fumbled around to find her glasses. She wore contacts mostly, but when she slept she took them out.  
"No, I'm Seth, Kirsten's son, Ryan's friend/confidant/conscience," Seth said, thinking he sounded awfully a lot like Jiminy Cricket.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't see you. No, but thank you for bringing in my stuff, would you like to sit down?" Lilly said when she could finally see that it was the man that had opened the door for her that morning.  
Seth nodded and sat across from her. "So," Seth sat there for a while thinking, "Do you like video games?"  
  
Kirsten rushed into her office and hoped her father wouldn't notice her tardiness. When she looked up she saw that her father was standing behind her desk.  
"So, ou obviously think that because you are my daughter, you can get away with breaking the rules, huh?" said Caleb when his daughter had walked in.  
"Dad, there was an emergency. I was needed at the house, so just drop it okay?" said Kirsten trying to get to her desk.  
"I'm not going to drop anything. You better explain to me, in detail, what the emergency was and it better not have anything to do with that Ryan boy," Caleb said moving over for her daughter to sit as he walked to seat across from her.  
Kirsten groaned underneath her breath. Why did her dad have to be so nosey? "One of Sandy's relatives was in trouble and she needed to stay with us for a while. Since Sandy was gone this morning I had to settle her in."  
"Probably drugs, if there was a relative. I know you when you're lying Kiki. Tell me the truth,"  
Kirsten rolled her eyes. "It's Ryan's cousin. She was in trouble and I had to help her get settled. It's fine Dad, don't groan like that, we have it under control,"  
"You know pretty soon you are going to have a half way house were your home should be," with that Caleb left her office.  
  
"You are pretty good at this, are you sure you haven't played before?" Seth said eying Lizzie.  
"Never, I just am a master and a quick learner," Lizzie laughed. She had fun with Seth, since he didn't make her feel pressured to talk about things she didn't want to talk about.  
"Ha! I killed you! In your face!" Seth shouted t the screen.  
Lizzie joked with him by scooting away from him and giving him a funny look.  
"What? I have never been able to kill this guy before. Oh come on you can't tell me you've never wanted to laugh because you killed people before," Seth said noticing her face.  
Lizzie laughed and kept playing. Finally Ryan walked in the door with Marissa and Summer. Lizzie tried to get off the floor but was unsuccessful. Ryan walked over and gave her a hand.  
"I hate sitting on the floor. So you are?" Lizzie said looking at the girls.  
"I'm Marissa, Ryan's girl friend, and this is Summer, Seth's girlfriend. We came over to visit you," Marissa said stepping out to welcome Lizzie.  
"Yeah, nice to meet you. How about we get away from the guys and get to know each other better?" said Summer grabbing Lizzie's arm. Summer didn't like the way that she was looking at her boyfriend, so she had to separate the two immediately.  
They dragged her out to the pool house and sat her down on the couch.  
"So, is there anything we could help you with or get you? Because Marissa and I are huge helping people buffs. We just love to help others," said Summer with an overly fake smile.  
"Um...I'm good," Lizzie said scooting away from Summer.  
"God Summer, leave her alone. You're scaring her. So how old are you?" asked Marissa trying to save her from the wrath of Summer.  
"I'm Seventeen. Listen, you guys don't have to go out of your way to be nice to me, just because I am a cousin of your boyfriend. We probably have nothing whatsoever in common. Besides, I won't be here that long," Lizzie said trying to get off of the couch.  
Summer looked guilty, damn that Cohen and his feelings, and grabbed her arm gently. "I'm sorry, I'm just extremely jealous and any girl talking to Cohen gets me kind of riled up. We probably have more in common than you think though. Do you like partying, or The Valley?"  
"I love the Valley, I haven't been able to watch it in a really long time, what's happened?" said Lizzie turning to Summer.  
"Oh my God, you will never believe what Joey did," Summer took off on a wild story about what had gone on and Marissa rolled her eyes. Summer has found her new soul mate.  
  
Sandy set his briefcase down on the table in the kitchen and going to see what was going on at his house. When he walked into the living room he saw Seth and Ryan arguing about something.  
"Boys, what is up?" Sandy said stepping between the two.  
"Listen Dad, has Mom called you today?" asked Seth turning away from Ryan. When sandy shook his head no he went on to explain Ryan's cousin and the predicament she was in. "And I was trying to be friendly and bond with her and now Ryan thinks I was hitting on her."  
Sandy tried to take in all of the information that was thrown at him in Seth's fast pace speaking. "Did you hit on her?"  
"I was being friendly, is that a crime?" asked Seth throwing his hands into the air.  
"You were not being friendly, you were hitting on her and you know it. You were playing that game with her," said Ryan finally speaking up.  
"I play that game with you, that does not mean I'm hitting on you!" Seth stomped off to his room. "I'm surrounded by crazy people!"  
"What is all of this about?" asked Sandy after his son had left the room.  
"I don't know I've always been this way about people and my cousin. I don't want her to get hurt. I guess I just freaked out. I'll go apologize," Ryan said walking in the direction that Seth had gone.  
"Oh dear God!" Seth said when he saw Ryan, "I swear I'll never touch her. Just please don't hurt me."  
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry; I just am very protective over my cousin. Do you forgive me?" Ryan said laughing at Seth who had covered his head.  
"Sure man, but dude listen, please don't scare me like that again,"  
  
Lizzie showed Summer and Marissa out of the house and went to sit on the couch. She sighed deeply and started to rub her feet, which had swollen to the point where her shoes didn't fit anymore. She flipped the channels of the TV in front of her and started to watch Bridget Jones's Diary.  
"Ah, a wonderful chick flick. Always soothing to see a boy get away from a girl at least five times before they actually make out," said Seth standing next to the couch she was sitting at.  
"Why do guys not like chick flicks? If more guys watched them they would get an idea of how to romance a girl. Why don't you sit? I'm not claiming the whole couch," Lizzie said scooting over for him.  
"I better not, Ryan might kill me," Seth said as his feet started to hurt.  
"Really? We'll see," Lizzie got off the couch and marched around the house to find Ryan. She finally found him out beside the pool. "Ryan Atwood what the hell is wrong with you?"  
Ryan jumped at the voice and when he saw her he walked over to her. "What?"  
"Why is Seth so afraid to sit next to me on the couch now?" Lizzie said placing her hands on her hips.  
Ryan almost laughed, but knew better by the look in her eye, "I thought he was hitting on you when you were playing the game. I can't help it if I'm over protective."  
"You better help it. Seth is a nice guy and I wanted to know him, as a friend. I will never make any friends if you keep thinking they're going to hurt me. You haven't changed since you left!" with that Lizzie walked back to the living room.  
"It's fine you can sit. I took care of Ryan," she said when she got back to the living room.  
Seth took a seat on the couch, still a distance away, and then sighed. Then Sandy walked in and stopped looking at Lizzie.  
"You must be Lizzie, nice to meet you. I'm Sandy, and welcome to our home. Would you mind talking to me in another room?" he said.  
Lizzie nodded and then followed Sandy, a little nervously. She barely knew him and he was making her be alone with him.  
"So, I just called Kirsten and she told me about your rapist. I know we can catch him; you will just have to give me some time. Kirsten told me the description and I think we can start an investigation. Plus, when you have the baby, we can have a paternity test to see if the people we have found are the right ones. Are you okay with this or is there something wrong?" Sandy told her trying to make her feel comforted. She looked pitiful and scared, like she didn't trust Sandy to be alone with her.  
"Thank you for your generosity. I don't know how I could repay you, but I will one day," she said trying not to be as frightened as she was.  
"The only thing we want from you is happiness. If you were not happy, then we wouldn't have done our job. I do want you to know that I will never hurt you, so you don't need to be afraid,"  
"That's what he said too," Lizzie said leaving Sandy alone in the hallway. 


End file.
